10 key ways to reduce bounce rate and increase sales
A high bounce rate is one of the biggest challenges any online business can face. So what actually is a bounce rate and how you can improve it?
Put simply, a bounce rate is the number of visitors to your website who click away after only viewing a single page – it’s the equivalent of a customer walking into your store and walking straight back out. The higher the bounce rate is, the higher the volume of lost sales for your business.
What can you do to lower it?
You’ll naturally want to keep your bounce rate as low as possible. The longer you can keep visitors browsing your website, the quicker your business is going to grow and the more sales you’ll experience.
A high bounce rate can indicate either good or bad UX dependant on the site. If the bounce rate is high it may suggest the user experience is poor meaning the user may not able to easily access the information they needed. However, on the flip side a high bounce rate may also indicate good UX meaning the user found all the information instantly without needing to search further, as the result of this they swiftly left the site.
Taking this into consideration it is vital to asses your site, its quality of user experience and information provided. Each site is individual and will need its own plan to tackle any bounce rate problems. Below is 10 tips on how to improve your bounce rate
1.Avoid pop-ups-
A pop-up is one of the quickest ways to drive a customer away from your website. Your business should be able to sell itself through its quality and content, rather than obnoxious pop-ups.
2. Readable content
Your website content needs to be easy, accessible and well written. There are no prizes for complicated language, so keep your content as direct, descriptive and concise as you can.
3. Targeting key words
You can help to encourage the visitors you want to reach your website by thinking about the key words they might be searching for, then optimising your website and content for them.
4. Multiple landing pages
Avoid the urge to have everything on one long landing page. Over-stuffing content and making visitors scroll forever is a great way to get them to lose interest in your website.
5. Page loading matters
Your website needs to load quickly, if it doesn’t you’re increasing the likelihood of visitors simply clicking elsewhere. If your website is taking too long to load, it needs optimisation.
6. Fresh content
Your web content needs to be relevant and up to date. If customers see that nothing on your website has been updated in the last few months, they’re going to presume your business is dead.
7. Mobile friendly
A large portion of website visitors now come from users who are on smartphones and tablets, so your website needs to cater to them. Otherwise you’re turning your back on a lot of potential customers.
8. Use calls to action
If you want your website visitors to take a certain action, you can’t be shy about telling them. Whether your call to action is to browse further, buy now, or contact you, make it clear.
9. Quality content
Credible content written in an authoritative manner is going to help encourage visitors that you’re an authority in your field. With that, they’ll trust you more and be more inclined to stay.
10. Website navigation
If your website is clunky and difficult to navigate, users are going to leave it. Your visitors need to be able to access every aspect of your website in no more than a few clicks.
Following these top tips will make your website easier to navigate, more responsive and present you as more of an authority within your field – all of which are essential for encouraging sales conversions. With the majority of sites focusing on driving sale conversations now is the best time to get ahead of the game and start planning out your next steps.